Today's charts: What geopolitical risk means for the markets

Markets were rattled by the overnight strikes in Syria, as the S&P (^GSPC) and Dow (^DJI) sold off, gold (GC=F) and crude (CL=F) jumped, and Russia’s ruble took a hit, as did Turkey’s lira. But for the most part, things calmed down from their extreme levels by the morning.

Geopolitical risk is difficult to quantify, but we can take a look at the size of today’s moves and what heightening international tensions means for the markets.

The biggest movers today were safe haven bonds, gold and oil.

The 10-year treasury note (^TNX) touched a five-month high right after the Syrian strikes were announced. However, those gains were dampened after the weaker-than-expected jobs report.

Gold, on the other hand, surged nearly 1% and was able to hold onto those gains through midday trading. On a technical level, the move higher pushed gold above its 200-day moving average.

10-year treasury note vs gold

Increased tensions following the attack also sent the VIX (^VIX), or fear index, surging 4.5% by midday.

VIX 2 day

If the US gets involved in more global hot-spots, investors should be prepared for further near-term volatility and expect increased appetite for these risk-off moves.

For more on how geopolitics could impact the markets, make sure to tune into The Final Round today at 4 p.m. Eastern, right here on Yahoo Finance.